As we get ready to ring in 2017, this is the time when it becomes commonplace to take stock of how well you did on your goals and aspirations. How do you feel about your 2016? Did you get out on the courts as much as you wanted? Have you kept last year’s resolutions?

At USTA Mid-Atlantic we also take a step back and look at how we did as an organization. We start each year setting goals and planning ways to accomplish our strategic plan and act on our mission to promote and develop the growth of tennis.

For us, 2016 has many aspects to be proud of including becoming a 501(c)3 not-for-profit and winning  two awards for workplace and organizational excellence. But above all, what really stands out is our success getting people of all ages to play tennis!

In 2016, USTA Mid-Atlantic launched the TGA tennis enrichment program that brings after school tennis programming to elementary and middle school aged children. This year alone, USTA MAS implemented the TGA program in 76 locations across four chapters totaling over a thousand participants, the majority of whom were new to the sport. And that was just one of the ways we grew the game.

Within adult programming, USTA MAS saw three out of five members joining a USTA league, totaling over 52,000 registrations in 2016. The nationally piloted Under 40 League brought out 117 players and 18 new teams alone!

To highlight some of the accomplishments we had in 2016, we put together an infographic illustrating how we are constantly focused on our mission and ensuring that tennis is as vibrant as ever. Not only are we working in the community to grow the sport among youth but we are invigorating tennis among adults and making connections to bring tennis to completely new audiences.

This infographic is a small example of what we have accomplished in 2016, but also serves as a reminder that we must continue to push ourselves to accomplish even more. 2017 will present us with challenges that will force us to come together and focus on opportunities that will help shape our future and the future of tennis in the Mid-Atlantic. Our team is ready to tackle these obstacles head-on to help you continue to enjoy a sport of a lifetime.

We’ve got so much to be proud of and I hope that you can join us in this sense of accomplishment because without you – our passionate tennis community – we wouldn’t have been able to achieve as much as we did.

Tara Fitzpatrick-Navarro is the executive director of USTA Mid-Atlantic.